She's With Me
by TheWiseGirl
Summary: Recipe for a chaotic sixth year: Add your boyfriend's brother and a stupid marriage law. Stir in new classes and a forced engagement. Sprinkle in some late nights snogging James Potter in the Room of Requirement. Now all you have to do is try not and let it boil over. Two Potter boys are better than one, right?
1. Chapter 1 - Much Much Better

_'"When we are in love, we are convinced nobody else will do. But as time goes, others do do, and often do do, much much better,"_

 _~ Coco J. Ginger_

* * *

The platform basked in a pale crimson glow from the lights reflecting off the red cars of the Hogwarts Express. Smoke billowed around the roof of the train and some smog even travelled down to the platform, causing several adults and children to cough and wave their hands in front of their faces. All around were parents fussing over their children. Some were hugging their parents back while others pushed their moms and dads away in fear of their friends seeing them show actual affection to an adult. Some students were catching up on gossip while others were continuing fights from the previous year. A seventh year student was proudly showing off their new Head Boy badge along with some fifth and sixth years showing off their own Prefect badges. Little eleven year olds were fidgeting, one was even crying. The little first years were looking around in awe whereas the older kids looked mildly amazed. The student's eyes shone with determination to make this year the best yet, whereas the magical parent's eyes clouded over as they reminisced about their own school days. Several redheads were plotting a very sneaky prank and a blond haired family strut around like they owned the place. Some things never really change.

Suddenly, a teenage girl gently pushed her trolley between two groups of students. The girl was pretty in a very subtle way with her long chocolate brown hair and eyes of the same shade. She looked around the platform for a moment before spotting the exact person she was looking for. Her eyes lit up when she saw him standing alone with his trolley. The girl sped up and started to jog towards the boy, pushing her things as she went. When she got close enough to him she abandoned her luggage and ran to hug him. The force of her hug almost knocked him over, not that he minded because he was finally reunited with his girlfriend.

"I missed you so much, Ro," the boy smiled, his green eyes alive with excitement. He was incredibly handsome standing there with his messy raven hair nearly falling into his emerald eyes, their colour standing out against his still sun-kissed skin.

"I missed you too, Al," Rowan whispered. She kissed him softly, wrapping her arms tighter around his waist. They pulled apart a little while later when someone behind them tried to get their attention. It was Al's brother, James.

"Well, if it isn't the two lovebirds," James Potter smirked from beside them. The couple wore identical scowls. "At it again, I see."

"Yes, James?" Rowan asked with her usual patience. The older boy shrugged and took a step closer to the brunette. He smiled down at her.

"Just wanted to know how your summer was," he whispered. Rowan stepped back much to James' disappointment.

"It was great, thank you," Rowan answered politely. James gave the brunette another one of his 'charming' smiles. It was times like these when Rowan could see why so many girls crushed on him; he really was handsome. He looked like his brother to a certain extent; same eye shape, same jawline, same messy hair despite the colour being different. James' hair was a dark brown, much like Rowan's except his turned a burnt sienna colour in the sun. His eyes had flecks of gold, green and brown making them seem ever changing, similar to his quicksilver personality, like a kaleidoscope. Another noticeable difference in their eyes was how Al's seemed to hold an air of wisdom, where as James' twinkled with mischief. James had a more muscular build than his brother with broad shoulders and bigger arms, staying true to his beater position on the quidditch team. Albus, on the other hand, had a slimmer, leaner build like the seeker that he was.

"I'm glad to hear it," he smiled, his hazel eyes twinkling.

"We should get going. See you later, James," Al said, tugging on Rowan's arm. She obeyed, grabbed her trolley and followed her boyfriend towards the train.

"At least he's being nice this year," Rowan sighed.

"Nice for now. My brother likes to play games, Ro. He's nice one minute and then foul the next. Just be careful because I know how much you like to give people second chances," Albus warned. Rowan nodded, giving her bigger items to one of the station workers keeping a small truck with her school robes. She quickly snatched up her charcoal grey cat, Phoebe, before she got taken away with Rowan's books and clothes.

"Where are your parents?" Rowan asked, hoping to change the subject. Phoebe purred softly and snuggled into the girl's neck. Rowan smiled and rubbed her cheek on her kitten's soft head. The cat had been her 15th birthday present from Al a little over a year ago.

"I already said bye. You?"

"Same. They were in a hurry so they didn't even come through the barrier this year. Dad doesn't really like it anyway," Rowan sighed, thinking of her father who found walking through a wall incredibly creepy, him being a muggle and all.

"Well, I have to go. Duty calls," Albus smiled, holding up his Prefect badge. Rowan nodded and went to go find her other friends.

* * *

Rowan sat curled up in the corner of the small train compartment, huddled over her notebook. She was writing, concentrating so hard that her tongue poked out from the corner of her mouth. When she was finished she put the small leather book beside her.

Rowan looked up at the redheaded girl across from her who was reading intensely. The girl's hair was a deep red, the colour of red velvet cake and her crystal blue eyes shone with excitement as she read. Her hair was long, almost reaching her mid back, and it kept getting in her way, causing her to brush it away constantly.

"Rose?" Rowan said in a singsong voice. The redhead kept reading, not necesarily ignoring her friend, simply too caught up in her own world to notice. "Oh Rose," Rowan tried again, this time waving her hand in Rose's face.

The redhead jumped, nearly hitting her head on the shelf above the seats, before placing her precious book beside her.

"Sorry, Ro. I'm just brushing up on potions," she apologized, gesturing to a copy of Advanced Potion Making beside her, "You know how it's my worst subject." Rowan rolled her eyes at her genius friend.

"It's your worst subject, but you still manage to get second in your class," Rowan scoffed.

"After you. You're the best at potions in our year, maybe the whole school," Rose pointed out.

"It's the only subject I excel in," Rowan shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant while secretly hiding her smug smile. She loved being the best at something, even though it didn't happen often in school, because of her competitive and ambitious nature. It was a complete mystery why she didn't end up in Slytherin.

"Anyways, what were you writing about?" Rose asked, pointing to the notebook beside her best friend.

"Oh, just anything that comes to mind. I'll write a book someday," Rowan answered, her eyes sparkling at the thought of her dream. Rose was about to comment, when two boys came charging into the compartment. It was James and his cousin/best friend/partner-in-crime, Fred.

"Hello, ladies," James smiled. Rose smiled back, but Rowan decided to ignore him.

James strode over and sat down beside her, slinging his arm around her shoulders. Rowan tried to shy away from him, but she was stuck between the wall and James.

"C'mon, sweetheart, you can't hate me forever," James whispered.

"I don't hate you. You're just a bit too much sometimes," Rowan sighed, pushing him off her. James decided it was best to stop and he promptly moved over. He saw the notebook on the seat and so because he was James Potter, the biggest insufferable prat to ever set foot at Hogwarts or the planet for that matter, he grabbed it.

"Oh look, it's about me," he grinned. Rowan rolled her eyes.

"In your dreams, James. " She snatched the book from his hands.

"Precisely."

Al entered the compartment with his little sister trailing behind. The younger girl jumped onto the eldest Potter, causing him to groan.

"That's what you get for leaving me on the platform. I was talking to you!" Lily Potter yelled.

"Merlin, you are an awful big brother," Fred joked. James just scowled at his best friend, still clutching his stomach in pain. Lily moved to Rowan and hugged her tightly.

"I missed you over the summer," Lily sighed. Rowan smiled and hugged the younger girl tighter.

"I know. I missed you too, Lils," Rowan grinned. Al walked over and grabbed his little sister, throwing her to the opposite seat, gently. He then took Lily's former spot beside his girlfriend. Lily pouted, but quickly decided that she'd rather go find people her own age, and left the compartment.

"Where's Scorpius?" Rowan asked Rose and Albus, assuming at least one of them would know where the blond haired boy was.

"Well we had the first rounds together and we just finished. I think he went to make sure his sister was fine so he should be back soon," Albus said. Sure enough, a teenage boy in a very nice set of robes opened the door and sat down beside Rose, slinging his arm around her shoulders. She cuddled into him, happily.

"Hey guys," Scorpius greeted. A mixture of 'hey's and small waves filled the compartment.

"I think this is gonna be a good year," Albus said, randomly. Despite the unexpected comment everyone couldn't help but agree. This would be a great year, Rowan could feel it.

* * *

The familiar roar of the student's dinner conversations filled the Great Hall. It was always the loudest the first day back, most likely because everyone was dying to know how everyone else's summers were. The warm glow from the candelabras on the walls illuminated a group of Ravenclaw's faces as one reenacted a very exciting quidditch match they had the privilege to watch over the summer. A pair of Slytherins decided that they could sneak off and skip dinner. Unfortunately for them, Professor Caroban had a very keen eye for troublesome students and he was able to catch them before they could escape. His shouting could be heard across the room by all the other professors. The loudest group, however, was definitely the seventh year Gryffindors who were currently planning a back to school party in the common room. Any students from fifth through to seventh year were invited, as long as they were Gryffindors.

"Who wants to nick some firewhisky from the kitchens with me?" James asked, not very quietly. Several students glanced at the professors, but the teachers were too busy talking amongst themselves to notice.

"It might be difficult, mate. I hear that house elf, Winky, has been stashing it all. Apparently, butter beer isn't enough for her," Albus stated. James scrunched his face up in concentration.

"Isn't that house elf a bit old?" Paula, another seventh year, asked. James shrugged.

"I'll help you," Fred offered, grinning madly at the thought of getting into even the tiniest bit of mischief. James smiled, manically, and clapped his best friend on the back. He was just about to comment when he was interrupted by the sound of a spoon hitting a glass.

"Attention, students! Settle down!" Headmistress McGonagall yelled from the podium at the front. The regal woman was getting older (nearing her 100th birthday), but she didn't let her old age stop her from doing the thing she loved most; teaching. The noise died down and the students turned towards their Headmistress, giving her their full attention. "I do hope the meal was more than satisfactory." Everyone in the hall nodded their approval. "Anyways, on a more serious matter I would like to ask the students between the ages of 11 and 15 to please make their way to their dormitories. I'm sure the 5th year Prefects are more than capable of showing the first years around."

The younger students walked out of the Great Hall with looks of confusion on their faces. Although no one was more shocked than the students who were asked to stay behind. Several of them thought they were in trouble or something. Rowan swore she saw a Hufflepuff faint.

As soon as the last little 2nd year left, Mcgonagall continued with her speech. "I hope you are all doing well because I have quite the news for you. Today, at precisely 8 o'clock, the Wizengamot passed a new law. They passed this law because of the new fear of the wizarding race becoming extinct." The students broke of into nervous chatter, but were quickly silenced by Mcgonagall. "As I was saying, after the war we lost many wizards and witches and there have been an increase in Squibs these past five years and so because we can't have that continuing, our new law will require every witch or wizard between the ages of 16 and 30 who aren't already married to marry someone chosen by the Ministry within the next year. They must also have at least 2 children in five years." Most people were shocked into silence, even a couple teachers were surprised, until a seventh year Ravenclaw stood up. It was Sylvia Poppins, the Head Girl.

"You can't do this! This is illegal! I thought the whole point of all those people losing their lives was to make the world a better place for us! Their children! But instead you stupid lot at the ministry think you can just force us to marry some stranger! We're only teenagers!" She screamed. This came as another shock to everyone because Sylvia was definitely not everyone's first guess as to who would call the Ministry a 'stupid lot'.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but the law is the law and you have to obey it. I truly am sorry, but we must do this. It is the only way. We will begin pairing everyone up tomorrow morning after breakfast. You will also be excused from classes tomorrow so that you can get to know your partner better. Classes will proceed on Friday with a new class added to your schedules. It is called Life Class and it will help prepare you and your fiancé for your lives together. With that, I hope you all have a good night," Mcgonagall said, a little bit solemnly, almost as if she was sad to hand her own students over to the real world.

Rowan turned to a shocked Albus with wide eyes, as reality set in.

"Al?" she gasped. "What if we don't get chosen to be together?"

"Don't worry," he said, trying to sound optimistic, but he hesitated and despite his best efforts, a little bit of fear shone in his eyes. He pulled Rowan in for a hug. "We'll be together because we're meant to be together. Okay?" He gripped the sides of her face trying to capture her attention, but she was completely distracted and definitely not convinced.

Together they walked up the various changing staircases, past the paintings and towards the Fat Lady. Albus muttered the password and the Fat Lady swung open her door with a sympathetic expression. She must have heard the news. Word really did travel fast in this castle.

Rowan entered the common room, her shoulders bowed in defeat. This room usually made her feel happy and warm, but it seemed depressing and overly crowded tonight. It seemed as if every Gryffindor had stayed in the living space in hopes of discovering what the secret meeting was about. A small group of seventh years were already being questioned for it by the fireplace. Rowan sighed and began walking towards her dorm. Al grabbed her arm before she could get any farther.

"Hey. Where are you going?" He asked her, a look of concern adorning his handsome face.

"I just want to be alone for a bit. I'll come find you soon," she promised, tugging her arm away, roughly. She didn't mean to sound rude, but she was terribly confused and a little frustrated right now. She made her way up the stairs, quietly, clutching her stomach as though she were about to be sick. That's exactly what she did when she got to her room. She felt a wave of nausea and had immediately rushed to the bathroom where she threw her guts up. Now she was lying on the cold tile floor shaking uncontrollably.

 _How could they do this to kids? We're only 16 and 17 for Merlin's sake. I'm not even sure if I ever want to get married!_ Rowan thought as she began to cry. Her tears came silently at first, but they eventually evolved to full on sobs. Once she calmed down ten minutes later she got up to go write which is what she always did when she was upset.

She sat down on the day bed by the window and began writing. She let her mind wander as she wrote, trying to think of happier times. She found herself thinking of her fourth year when she had first gotten onto the quidditch team as a chaser. This was a time when everyone got along, even her and James. Actually, James was one of her best mates back then and they were always quite the troublemakers when they were together. Rowan chuckled as she remembered some of the things they had done to teachers and students.

Without even realizing it she had wrote about one of her favourite memories from the past years. It was the moment when she won her very first game in fourth year. The win was all thanks to James and Rowan, who were getting along at that point, because they decided their best strategy was to distract the Slytherins so that their teammates could score or catch the snitch. James was in charge of distracting the girls and Rowan was in charge of distracting the boys. They basically ended up flirting their way to victory.

Rowan had remembered the moment when she so subtly flaunted her chest to the Slytherin keeper, allowing one of the Gryffindor chasers to score. _Merlin, I was a little slag,_ she thought with a giggle. James on the other hand was winking at the innocent little Slytherin seeker, allowing Al to swoop in and catch the snitch, granting Gryffindor victory.

To think that now James and Rowan rarely talked, let alone worked together to win something, was actually quite sad. Things really can change quickly.

Rowan put her book down and headed down to the common room in a significantly better mood. The party was now in full swing which was surprising given the circumstances, but James never really was one to stop a party for anything, even outrageously cruel and unfair laws. Rowan spotted Al across the room talking to Scorpius and Rose with a cup of something, most likely alcohol, in his hands. He was laughing, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes, a tell-tale sign the something was bothering him. Rowan approached her best friends, but not before downing a whole glass of fire whiskey first. She would definitely regret that in the morning, but if she was going to survive this stupid law thing she would have to be at least a little tipsy.

"Hey guys," Rowan muttered, leaning into Al.

"Merlin, you look awful, Ro," Rose exclaimed. Rowan laughed little.

"I know I look like hell. I feel like it too."

"What's wrong?" Albus asked, concern flooding his features. Rowan shrugged.

"Just a headache. You know I get those," Rowan lied. Albus nodded, then noticed her second cup of firewhisky.

"You won't be needing that then," he said, taking it from her hands. She grabbed it before she could get too far and downed it.

"I'm fine. Believe me, I need this," Rowan explained. Al knew it was best not to argue with Rowan when she had her mind made up because she would win either way.

Just then Fred turned on the music and turned off the room glowed in bright neon colours where the seventh years had charmed it. Rowan smiled up at all the lights forgetting about the law and the chance that she'll be forced to leave Al the next morning and focused only on that moment.

"C'mon," she said, pulling Al onto the makeshift dance floor. "Let's dance!" He let her pull him, a sheepish smile on his face.

"You know I can't dance, Ro," he whispered, as she shimmied and shook around him.

"Yeah, but I can and I want to so if you don't dance with me, I'll find a boy who will," she said, firmly. This definitely shut Al up and got his feet moving. He really was an awful dancer, but Rowan was mesmerizing. Al couldn't help but stare at her as she swayed side to side, letting off a vibrant glow. So naturally as he stood there staring at her he couldn't fight the urge of kissing her, so he let it go. The kiss was short and sweet, even more intoxicating than the fire whiskey. When they separated, Rowan kept her fingers in his hair and Al kept his hands on the small of her back. They touched their foreheads together and smiled, green eye meeting brown.

As the night went on more and more people retreated back to their dorms until only a handful of sixth and seventh years were left behind. The common room was a mess of broken fire whiskey bottles and plastic cups. There were even a couple people passed out on the floor, the stairs or the couches. One fifth year was even passed out in the door, forcing the Fat Lady's portrait to remain open, she stared down at the boy in disgust.

Rowan and her friends sat around their beds in their dorm, their buzz having faded.

"I'm scared," Rowan muttered, but because it was so quiet everyone heard her.

Rose nodded in agreement, then whispered, "We're only 16. It's ridiculous. I mean I don't want to get married!" Olivia Peterson, a fellow sixth year Gryffindor didn't seem to agree.

"I don't know. It might not be all that bad," she said. Rowan and Rose looked at her as if she had magically grown three heads in the past second. "What? I mean the Ministry wouldn't just put us with someone random. They'll at least try to find a compatible match. Maybe we'll even find our soulmate," she said, hopefully. Olivia was always optimistic and cheerful.

"With my luck, my soulmate is a muggle and they won't pair me with him," Hailey Thomas sighed, flopping down on her girls giggled because Hailey did have rotten luck. The giggles turned into chuckles until eventually, they were in stitches, laughing uncontrollably. Given the circumstances, they really needed a good laugh.

Once they had settled down a bit, Olivia continued being her optimistic self. "I'm serious though! We'll get to meet our soul mates!" She jumped up onto her bed wielding a pillow as if it was a trophy she had just won. She hooted and hollered and even got Hailey to join in and she even grabbed a pillow for herself. Rose and Rowan remained sitting, sharing an understanding and knowing look.

"Okay? What's got you two all sad and brooding?" Hailey asked, dropping the pillow and putting her hands on her hips in a disapproving manner. Rose sighed and flopped down on the bed. Rowan looked down, fighting back tears.

"Ooooooohhhhhh," Olivia said, drawing out the letters. Rowan nodded.

"What?" Hailey asked, still confused.

"They're worried they won't get paired with Scorpius and Albus," Olivia explained. Hailey's jaw dropped.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! Of course, you'll be with them! Honestly, you guys are so thick sometimes," Hailey rolled her eyes. Rose brighten up a bit.

"You really think so?" she asked, eagerly. Hailey nodded.

"Honestly. And you're supposedly the brightest witch of our age," Hailey joked. Rose threw a pillow at her and muttered for her to shut up. Of course when one girl throws a pillow it starts a full out pillow war. Hailey, Olivia and Rose began throwing pillows at each other while Rowan kind f sat there, laughing, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She still wasn't convinced that she would end up with Al and she wasn't sure why because he was perfect for her. He was kind, smart, handsome and funny, everything she had ever looked for in a guy. _But,_ she thought, _he's my first real boyfriend so how would I know what perfect is?_ She felt kind of guilty after she said that and so she decided to go find her boyfriend even though it was past midnight by now.

"I'm just going to go find Al," she told her friends, turning to walk out the door. They barely heard her over their shrieks and giggles though. Rowan made her way down the stairs and up to the boy's dorms. She always found it weird how girls were allowed in the boys dorms, but the boys weren't allowed in the girls dorms. A boy could just as easily rape a girl in the boys dorms as the girls dorms. Not that she was complaining of course. The amount of times this rule was useful for her and Al was astonishing.

When she arrived at the door she knocked gently in case some of them were indecent. She was greeted a couple seconds later by Frank Longbottom, a sixth year Gryffindor and son of the Herbology professor.

"Oh hi Rowan," he greeted, letting her in. "Al's in the bathroom he should be back soon," he informed her. She nodded and took a seat on her boyfriend's bed. Frank rejoined his other dorm mates on the floor for a game of exploding snap. Al exited the bathroom and upon noticing Rowan he moved to join her, but she was already standing up and walking towards the door, motioning for him to follow. He did as he was asked and together they walked down the stairs and into the common room, finding a secluded corner to sit in.

"Al, what if we don't get paired together?" Rowan whispered. Albus paused for a moment, taking in his girlfriend's sad features. He reached up to stroke her hair, pulling her in for a hug.

"We will," he murmured against her forehead.

'But what if we don't?" she asked, trying to pull away to look him in the eye. She wanted to see if he was telling the truth or not, but he only pulled her closer.

"We will. Do you really have no faith in us?" he chuckled. She laughed a little and he finally let her pull away.

"Of course I have faith in us. I just don't know how the Ministry is picking the partnerships."

"I'm sure it's on compatibility," he answered. Rowan just nodded, pulling him in for a kiss. It was kind of salty and wet because at some point she began to cry, but it was okay because it was Al and every kiss she shared with Al was more than satisfactory. When they pulled apart, they exchanged 'I love you' s before parting ways.

Rowan walked up the stairs and opened her door to their incredibly clean room. It was always clean because both Rowan and Rose were notorious neat freaks. All her friends were asleep in their respectable beds and even the pillows that were used as weapons an hour before were put neatly away. _How could everything be in order when my whole world is falling apart?_ _And why am I so convinced that my life will be ruined after tomorrow?_ she asked herself. Rowan sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time that night before changing and going to bed.

She had trouble falling asleep and as the hours past, her mind was still racing with thoughts about the marriage law and the impending question: Who would her fiancé be?

* * *

Rowan woke up after Rose as per usual. She groaned and rolled to the side, nursing her hangover headache. She found a small vial of green liquid; a hangover potion obviously made by Rose earlier this morning. She was always doing nice things for everyone, she was so kind. Rowan downed the potion and immediately felt the soothing effects of it. Her hangover wasn't too bad so Rowan was able to get up in no time at all.

Shortly after Rose, Rowan, Hailey and Olivia made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. They sat with their usual group in the middle of the table, but this time none of them were eating.

"I can't eat! How am I supposed to eat before my future is determined?" Rose shouted, throwing her fork down. It clattered unpleasantly against her plate.

"Well, you take your fork, pick up some food, put it in your mouth and chew. It's quite simple really," Fred replied, cheekily, but even he was touching his food. Rose scowled and hit him with one of the many books she carried around.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick too, Rose," Rowan agreed, holding her stomach. Albus rubbed her back gently.

"Gosh, when does this breakfast end!" Hailey shouted, throwing her hands up dramatically. This caused a couple of chuckles, but the Gryffindors soon returned to their solemn attitudes. Several silent minutes later, the plates disappeared and McGonagall cleared her throat.

"Attention! Good morning, students. If I could ask the students between the ages of 11 and 15 to please go to their first period classes, as indicated by their timetables." Majority of the hall's students got up and left through the huge double doors, all of them giving the remaining students sympathetic looks. "I am very sorry to announce-

" McGonagall started before she was interrupted by Hailey.

"If you're so sorry then why are you doing it?" Hailey asked. Taking note of McGonagall's hard look, Hailey added a very polite 'Ma'am'. Rowan stood up, suddenly.

"I'm only 16, Professor! I don't want to get married! And according to this law I have to have kids by the time I'm 21! I can barely take care of myself," Rowan cried,she was near tears. And McGonagall seemed to be near tears as well, as if it pained her to see her students like this. Another student stood up from the Ravenclaw table.

"I wanted to travel the world after school! I can't do that if I have young children at home," he shouted. Several more choruses of agreement were heard.

"Enough!" McGonagall screamed, her voice shrill. The students sat down, shocked by their Headmistress' sudden outburst. "I'm sorry, but it's the law! I cannot do anything about it!

"Now I will call the girls up one by one and you will be paired will then stand off to the side until given further instruction. If your partner does not go to Hogwarts then you will be flooed to them. Does everybody understand?" Everyone nodded. Mcgonagall nodded and grabbed a scroll. Professor Longbottom grabbed a stool and the sorting hat and placed them in front of the teacher's table.

"Kelly Allen!"

"Paired with George Finnigan!"

"Poppy Aven!"

"Paired with Luke Hollis!"

Rowan turned and whispered to her group of friends. "I didn't think I'd ever be glad of my last name, but now I get to know sooner." Even though she said it, Rowan wasn't sure if she wanted to be one of the first to know. Rose groaned.

"W. Honestly," she scowled.

"Hannah Brown!"

"Paired with Paul Southon!"

"Rowan Barkley!" Rowan took a deep breath and gave Albus' hand one last squeeze before getting up and walking towards the hat. She felt everyone's eyes on her as she made her way to the front. She kept her head high and even smoothed her already smooth hair back. _This is it,_ she thought as she sat on the stool. _Merlin, this is worse than the sorting ceremony._ Professor Longbottom placed the hat on her head. _Who is my fiancé?_

"Yes, who should he be indeed," the sorting hat whispered.


	2. Chapter 2 - Maybe That

Please be Al, please be Al, please be Al, Rowan chanted in her head.

"Oh, but I don't know if he's your soulmate," the Sorting Hat whispered.

I don't care who you think my soulmate is. I know Al's my soulmate so pair me with him.

"Nope sorry!" it whispered before shouting. "Paired with James Potter!"

She wouldn't believe this, she wouldn't believe. Her body was filled with unbearable tension, her heart was bursting, her head reeling. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't hear anything. All she could do was watch as everyone's jaws dropped, and they began whispering to one another. Then her eyes caught Al's and she finally plucked up the courage to stand up. She ran towards him, but something was in her way, a strong something, and it was holding her back and saying her name. She looked up and met the something's eyes. Its eyes didn't seem to want to decide what colour they wanted to be. They kept changing and that's when it clued in who this something was. It was James. She realized that people probably thought they were staring into each other's eyes because they had finally realized that they loved each other all along. This, of course, wasn't the case. Rowan tried to catch Al's eyes again, but he had looked away towards the floor. He looked heartbroken, which was exactly how Rowan felt.

"Al," she whispered, but of course he couldn't hear her; he was too far away.

"Rowan, come on. We have to go to the side," James said, tugging on her arm. Under normal circumstances, Rowan would've shoved James' hand away and glare at him for good measure, but today she didn't have the energy. She went with him willingly.

Once they were off to the side with the other paired couples, they awkwardly stood side by side, careful not to touch each other. Rowan kept glancing at Al, but he never did lift his gaze. The names flew by without getting much attention from Rowan until she heard the sentence that seriously broke her heart.

"Paired with Albus Potter!"

Rowan's head shot towards the stool where she spotted Alice Longbottom with the sorting hat on her head. And as much as Rowan wanted to hate her, she couldn't because Alice was probably the nicest girl on the planet. Despite her best efforts Rowan began to cry as she watched her boyfriend walk with the petite brunette. The tears made wet tracks down her cheeks as the ceremony droned on. She was careful to listen for her friend's names to find out what weddings she would most likely be attending in a year's time.

"Olivia Peterson!"

"Paired with Kevin McLaggen!" Rowan watched as the curly blond haired boy strutted confidently to Olivia. Rowan couldn't help but smile at this due to her dorm mate's crush on the quidditch player. More names were called before Rowan heard Fred's name. Rowan looked to the front and noticed that Fred was paired with an incredibly gorgeous Slytherin. The girl was tall, blonde and tan; definitely, model worthy.

"Score Freddie," James whispered, winking at his best mate. The Weasley shot James a thumbs up and a huge grin before slinging his arm around the blonde. She didn't seem to mind which only inflated Fred's ego even more.

"Hailey Thomas!" The dark skinned girl walked exuberantly to the front where she put the Sorting Hat on herself, rather than let Professor Longbottom do it for her.

"Paired with Lucas Wood!" Rowan was shocked that someone as quiet and shy would be paired with her energetic and sometimes overwhelming friend. They were definitely an odd match. Hailey made a big deal of flashing Lucas her brightest smile before shaking his hand. The boy certainly looked overwhelmed already. Rowan stifled a giggle, but the happiness flooded from her when she caught a glimpse of Alice talking to Al.

"Rose Weasley!" Rowan watched as Rose squeezed Scorpius' hand before walking to the stool where she sat down. The hat had barely touched her head before it shouted out a name.

"Paired with Scorpius Malfoy!" Scorpius and Rose didn't even try to hide their excitement as they ran to each other. They embraced before separating and surprisingly walking in opposite directions. Rose ran towards Rowan and enveloped her in one of the redhead's legendary bear hugs.

"Oh, Rowan! I'm so sorry!" she whispered. Rowan nodded, fighting back tears. From the corner of her eye, she watched Scorpius clap Al on the back. Al hung his head in defeat and ran his fingers through his unruly hair, a mannerism Rowan saw every time Al got a bad mark or lost a quidditch match. Rose pulled back and gripped Rowan's shoulders, looking her best friend in the eyes.

"It's going to be okay. We'll fight this stupid law, okay?" she said, with the usual passion she used when discussing books. Rowan shook her head.

"It's the law. We can't do anything about it," Rowan cried.

"Yes, we can!" Rose said, turning Rowan back towards her.

"At least you got your happily ever after," Rowan mumbled.

"Oh, Ro. You will too, I promise." Rowan still wasn't convinced.

A couple minutes later the sorting hat was removed and McGonagall was rounding up some students to be flooed elsewhere. She then made her way to the podium to say something else.

"As I told you earlier you are excused from your classes for the day in order to get to know your partner better. I also want you to spend this time to get settled into your new dormitories. The new dormitory occupants are listed on the doors. I hope you have a good afternoon." And with that, she fled from the room with her head down. If Rowan didn't know the Professor she probably would've thought she was crying.

Rowan clutched to Rose who gladly guided her to the lists at the entrance to the Great Hall. James trailed behind them chatting up Fred's blonde fiancee. Rose carefully read the various pieces of parchment before finding their rooms.

"Oh look! We're together!" Rose squealed. Rowan managed a weak smile. "We're also with Fred and Claire and Al and Alice. That's a pretty good room!" Rose noticed Rowan's solemn expression. "Or not. I guess that is awkward…" Rowan nodded and sighed.

"Cool. We're together!" Rowan heard Fred cheer, before high-fiving James. The blonde girl, Claire, walked over to Rose and Rowan.

"Hi, I'm Claire," she chirped. Rose introduced them and Rowan tried to smile kindly, but it came out wrong and looked more like a scowl. Claire looked startled by Rowan's mean response. To try to cover up the scowl, Rowan said, "Nice to meet you." Alice approached the group of girls cautiously.

"I'm really sorry Rowan. I wish it didn't happen like this," Alice said, very, very quietly. Rowan really wanted to lash out and yell at the girl, but she couldn't because Alice looked so fragile and innocent, not to mention her father was standing at the front of the room with Rowan's Herbology mark resting in his hands.

"It's okay, Alice. It's not your fault," Rowan pointed out. Alice nodded and began engaging Claire in conversation. The group walked up to the fourth floor where their dorm was located and found the statue it was behind.

"Okay, the parchment said the password would be given by the painting or statue so I guess we just wait," Rose noted. They stood uniformly in front of a statue of a knight decked out in his shiny armour.

"The password is Petrificus Totalus," the statue rumbled. Scorpius repeated the password and the knight slid away revealing a door. One by one each teen stepped through to the common room. It was slightly smaller than the Gryffindor common room most likely due to the smaller number of people that would share it. A wraparound loft was situated all along the room and four doors were visible on this topmost level. The roaring stone fireplace reached the floor of the loft and was built with a dark grey stone. The walls were a light beige and the couches and chairs were a dark brown leather. The entire colour scheme was all brown earth tones, obviously not favouring to one particular house. It was beautiful, but unfortunately, even the elegance of the room couldn't lift Rowan's mood.

"Each door has names above it," Alice pointed out. This was true and it was something Rowan had overlooked. She noticed that the door above the fireplace had her and James' name above it.

"Wanna go check out our room?" Rowan heard someone say from behind her. She turned around and discovered that it was James. She shook her head.

"No, I think I'm going to talk to Al," she replied. James nodded in sympathetic understanding before sprinting up the stairs to their room.

This was all so surreal and Rowan found herself unable to wrap her head around it. Something like this had never happened before in her life. She never experienced something that changed her life so drastically in such a short amount of time, especially negatively. It seemed like a dream. A very, very awful cruel dream.

"Al?" she asked. He turned around to face her. "Can we talk?" He nodded and led her to a secluded corner in the common room. The rest of their friends seemed to get the hint and they quickly dispersed to their living quarters. Rose gave Rowan a look that clearly said 'We'll talk later'. Rowan nodded in response.

"What are we going to do?" Al asked. Rowan shrugged and pulled him in for a hug.

"I don't know. It hasn't actually sunk in quite yet. I mean I thought we were going to be together forever, you know?" she whispered into his shoulder. She felt him nod.

"I know exactly what you mean," he said pulling away and stroking her hair. Rowan smiled up at him, weakly.

"I think we should at least try to stay together, right?"

"Definitely. It's just so weird, I mean Alice is your exact opposite. She's all quiet and shy and you're this big ball of fire and excitement. It's different," Al explained.

"I know and you're kind and sweet while James is foul," Rowan said, her expression changing to a scowl. Al sighed.

"I can't believe I'm saying this because he practically just stole my girl from my hands, but James isn't all that bad." Rowan laughed.

"You haven't lost me yet. And certainly not to your brother," she said, pulling Al in for a kiss.

The stayed in the common room for awhile talking by the fire in each other's arms. They decided to keep their relationship a secret, even to their friends, in fear of the Ministry getting involved. They came up with a believable story about their breakup so that everyone would think they accepted the law for what it was.

"Al?" Rowan asked.

"Yes?" he replied, turning toward her.

"Do you think Rose will believe our lie? I mean, she's awfully perceptive. And so is Scorpius," Rowan said, a hint of fear creeping into her voice. She wasn't afraid of her friends knowing and she didn't doubt that they would keep their secret safe, but she really didn't want James finding out. He was a wild card and she had absolutely no idea what he would do.

"I guess you're right. Maybe we should tell them, but only them," Al reasoned. Rowan gave a firm nod of understanding before kissing him one last time and leaving for her room.

"I'll see you in the morning. And remember, when I glare at you during breakfast, I'm really mean that I love you. Okay?" Rowan smiled.

"Okay. And when I snap and say what are you staring at, I really just mean that I love you more," Albus grinned. Rowan nodded and walked up to her room and opened the door.

The room was a lot like the common room with the same colour scheme and elegance. There were two queens beds off to the side, one by a window, which was wide open, and the other closer to the door. Rowan walked to the window and shut it abruptly. On the opposite walls were two dressers on either side of the bathroom door. Rowan spotted her trunks and other possessions in front of one dresser. James was nowhere in sight. She heard a meow coming from the corner so she turned around. It was Phoebe, who had somehow gotten out of her cage. Rowan ran towards her kitten and scooped her up.

"This sucks doesn't it, Pheebs," she whispered. The cat purred softly as if to agree. Rowan sat down on a bed and began to cry. Phoebe walked around her occasionally flicking Rowan with her tail.

"This was supposed to be a good year," Rowan sighed, flopping onto her back. "I mean, look at me! I've already cried twice and the second day has barely started!" A knock on the window caused her to sit up straight. It was James on his broom. flying by the window. Rowan got up, wiping her eyes hastily, and went to open the window. Once she did, James flew into the room.

"Talking to yourself in your lonely tower, princess? Need your knight in shining armour to save you?" he winked. Rowan scowled.

"I was talking to Phoebe actually, " Rowan growled, gesturing to her cat, deliberately ignoring his second question.

"Good to know that I'm marrying a crazy cat lady." Rowan tried to ignore the marriage comment because even hearing it mentioned brought on a new wave of tears. Merlin. I'm a mess, she thought. In an attempt to distract herself, Rowan started sorting through her things by the dresser.

"I'll take this bed," Rowan said, placing her stuff on the queen by the window. "And you can have that bed,"

"C'mon love, you don't want to sleep with me?" James joked, a fake pout plastered on his face. Rowan scowled.

"No, I don't want to sleep with you. I also don't want to marry you or have children with you!" She yelled, grabbing her toiletries bag from her trunk. James looked taken aback by her anger.

"I'm going to have a shower," she mumbled, slamming the door behind her.

A quarter of an hour later, she was stepping out of the shower stall when she heard a knock on the door.

"Rowan? I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset," she heard James' voice say from the other side of the door. Rowan smiled to herself. He really did sound sincere. The knob started to turn and the door opened a crack. She ran and slammed it shut.

"I'm practically naked. Give me a minute and I'll come out," Rowan said.

"Maybe, I'll just barge in then. It's nothing I won't see later on," James joked. Rowan seethed, wrapped her towel around her and flung the door open. James was expecting a nice, forgiving Rowan to walk out that door, but instead, he got a very, very angry one.

"Just when I think you've become a decent human being you say something like that!" She screamed, pushing passed him. James ran after her, frantically.

"Wait I'm sorry! It just sort of comes out!"

"Maybe that's the problem," Rowan sighed, turning to look at him. He looked pretty desperate for her to forgive him.

"I'll work on fixing it. I won't say anything like that all day," James offered. Rowan sighed but took another look at his desperate face.

"Okay," Rowan nodded. "You're lucky I'm a nice person." James was about to pipe up and say something, but he stopped himself. Rowan smiled.

"See that wasn't so bad."

An odd ringing noise sounded from the common room. Rowan's brows furrowed in confusion as she looked to James for any answers. He looked just as confused as she did.

"Is that a doorbell?" James questioned, moving closer to their bedroom door.

"Sounds like it," Rowan replied. "Let's go check it out." She seemed to realize that she was still in her towel at the same time James did. A faint rosy blush dusted Rowan's cheekbones as she looked down at her indecent attire. James simply smirked much to her annoyance. She decided to let it slide.

"You go ahead, I'll just finish up getting ready."

James nodded before exiting their room. She could hear his heavy footsteps as he ran downstairs. She wasn't sure why, but the childlike behaviour of running down the stairs made her laugh.

She quickly got ready before making her way down the stairs to the mini common room. Her roommates were all gathered by the fireplace talking amongst themselves. Rose had a wax sealed envelope in her hand.

"What's that Rose?" Rowan asked as she approached the couches. She sat next to Claire on one of the loveseats. It was the only spot left except for the one beside James.

"This was in the hall after that ringing noise sounded. It's addressed to us. We were waiting for you before opening it." She explained.

"Just open the damn thing already," Fred whined. He was certainly the most impatient in our friend group. His patience, or lack thereof, rivalled that of a two-year-old. Rose shot him a look before doing as he suggested.

"It wants us to play a game," she informed the group after quickly reading the parchment within the envelope.

"What type of game?" Claire asked.

"It just says any game we want. They probably want us to bond or something," Scorpius explained, looking over Rose's shoulder for clarification from the note.

"Awesome! Let's play never have I ever. I'll go get my fire whisky stash," Fred yelled, already sprinting for his room. His excitability also rivalled that of a two-year-old.

"I really hate that game," Rowan groaned, flopping back on the couch and covering her eyes as if she received an instant headache just from the thought of drunken confessions.

Shortly after Fred returned, the game was all set up. Albus was to start.

"Never have I ever performed a strip tease for someone."

Rowan raised her glass to Al. "You're welcome." She said, before taking a drink. Everyone chuckled at this.

The game continued for about half an hour before everyone started running out of ideas. Fred was completely sloshed considering he was by far the most sexually experienced person in the friend group.

"I feel like this isn't what McGonagall had in mind when she sent us this card," Alice muttered from her current position on the floor in front of the fire. Everyone gave a halfhearted chuckle at this. Scorpius and Rose were the first to get up and go to bed. With help from Albus, Fred was next, closely followed by Claire and Alice. Rowan and James were left sprawled out on opposite couches, staring up at the ceiling.

"I'm really sorry, Rowan," James whispered. Rowan turned towards him.

"I've already heard your apologizes. You've been forgiven," Rowan whispered back.

"No," James turned towards her now. "Not about all those things I said. I'm sorry that this had to turn out like this. Us being together, I mean," James explained.

"You say that like it was destined to happen anyway."

"Well, it was. We're soulmates. The Ministry wouldn't have put us together otherwise," James whispered, staring into her eyes. Rowan turned back around.

"Al's my soulmate. He's so perfect for me," she sighed. "And in general."

"Maybe that's the problem," she heard James whisper. Rowan let this sink in for a moment.

"Wait, what'd'you mean?"

"You need someone who surprises you, challenges you."

"I don't get it," She whispered, flipping back around, but James was already asleep. "Merlin, you don't drop a bomb like that on someone and then fall asleep!" She whisper-yelled.

And for the second night in a row, Rowan had trouble falling asleep.

"Hello, students, I'm Madame Sinclair. Some of you may know me as the matron here at Hogwarts, but I will be your teacher for this new class that was started at Hogwarts following the new Marriage Law," a short, plump woman chirped from the front of the classroom. Rowan recognized her to be the healer assigned at Hogwarts who on many occasions had healed her of some quidditch injuries she acquired during practices and games. She was a nice lady, always very gentle, giving Rowan hope that this class wouldn't be as bad as she previously thought.

The classroom, however, caused discomfort for Rowan and several of the other students, particularly the boys. The classroom did not contain many textbooks or anything scholarly at all. It was full of baby dolls, diapers and bottles. The sight was terrifying since Rowan was never that great at taking care of children. Rowan shared a scared look with Al across the room. She really was trying to ignore him like they had planned, but she couldn't stand seeing him sitting there with Alice, while she was across the room with his brother.

"This class is called Life Class for a reason. Because I will be teaching you how to deal with your new life since this new law has been passed. I will show you how to change diapers, feed infants and raise a child properly. You will also learn cooking and cleaning spells to help you when you move out of your parent's homes and into your own," the stout professor said enthusiastically, clapping her hands together as if 16 and 17-year-olds were supposed to be excited about learning how to do these things. Rowan noticed that some girls such as Alice seemed genuinely happy to be in this class.

"Alice must really like kids. She's really very chipper," Rowan whispered to James, unable to control the jealous tone that sneaked its way into her voice. James simply turned to her and grinned knowingly. He didn't miss that covetous tone.

"The first thing I'm going to ask you to do is to find your partners and sit with them. And by partners, I don't mean a person of your choosing, but the person the Sorting Hat assigned you yesterday." Surprisingly, no one moved since they had sat down with their partners without being asked.

"Thank you for not complaining too much. I know this whole experience is very hard on you, but I promise that you will all get your happy ending soon enough," the professor empathized. Her eyes got darker and they glazed over a bit, showing her sadness and empathy for the young teens.

"Now on a lighter note," she chirped, her mood brightening considerably. "This may seem stupid, but it really does help you get to know your partner. I would like you to ask your partner 20 questions that you would like to know about him or her. Does everyone understand?" Several groups yelled out 'yes'.

James and Rowan turned to each other slowly.

"Uh, do you wanna go first?" Rowan asked. James shrugged.

"Why do hate me?" he asked. Rowan was taken aback by his forwardness. It took her a moment to process her answer.

"I don't hate you. I just don't trust you," she answered honestly.

"Why?"

"Only one question per turn." James just rolled his eyes, but let her ask a question. "What's your favourite colour?"

"Red. Now, why don't you trust me?"

"You use girls constantly and you've cheated on the majority of the ones you've dated. I just can't bring myself to trust or respect someone like that. If you can't stop betraying them, nothing's stopping you from betraying your friends too," Rowan answered, surprised by her own honesty.

"Oh, so you're just the perfect princess, aren't you? You make it out like I'm the most awful person in the world. Haven't you ever made a mistake before?" James sneered down at her. Her eyes widened in fear because she knew where he was going with this. "Oh right, you have."

"You said you would never tell anyone," Rowan whispered, her eyes pleading for him to be quiet.

"And I haven't. But don't continue to paint me as the bad guy. You did something awful too and don't you forget it." Her anger spiked at this. She had an icy sort of anger. A cold fury that manifested itself in tight lips and blazing eyes and short carefully enunciated sentences.

"You think I can forget it?" She seethed, standing up abruptly and slamming her hands down on the desk they were sitting at. James leant back and smirked at the chaos he had caused. "How could I ever forget?" She asked, lowering her voice to an icy whisper.

"I don't know, sweetheart. It is pretty unforgettable, isn't it?" James smirked. Rowan let the words sink in, understanding their double meaning. She made a frustrated noise and stormed out of the class. Leaving several curious stares and one shocked teacher behind her.

Al shot an apologetic look Alice's way before running after her, not putting it past himself to hit James roughly in the shoulder. James opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't find the right words to form a sentence.

"Rowan!" Al shouted from behind her, trying to catch up with her now running form. She shook her head and turned back towards him.

"We're supposed to be mad at each other remember?" She reminded him.

"Right. I forgot." Al replied meekly and despite the situation, she actually laughed lightly.

"Second day of our plan and we already blew it," She chuckled.

"Well, actually I blew it. You were perfect," Al smiled, taking a step towards her and brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"Mrs Barkley and Mr Potter! Come back to the classroom please," Madame Sinclair yelled from the classroom door. She didn't look particularly happy with either of them. Rowan cringed a bit before walking back to the classroom. The professor glared at her when she passed.

Al and Rowan made their way to their seats and faced the front of the classroom, both ignoring the shocked stares from their classmates. Beside Rowan, James was looking thoroughly pissed off.

"Alright, let's continue on with our lesson. Maybe the 20 questions game was a little bit too much for some people," Madame Sinclair said, glaring at James and Rowan as she told us this. Rowan saw James roll his eyes from the corner of her eye.

"Okay, the first thing we need to do is hand out the baby dolls you see in the back corner there. One of the main reasons for this new law is for the wizarding population to grow more quickly. You have been paired with someone who is both romantically and genetically compatible with you in order to produce the smartest and most capable children you could have, while still giving them loving parents. The project for this class will last the entire year and will require you to live with and take care of your child with your partner. There will be no exam for this class." There were some muted cheers at that, but everyone seemed too shocked and unsettled to really celebrate the lack of testing for this new course.

"First up we have Kelly Atkinson and Jeremy Cline," Madame Sinclair read from a list of names. The addressed pair stood up and made their way to the professor. She handed them a baby, asked them to place a hair from each of their heads into a potion, she muttered a spell and poured the potion over the doll's head as if baptizing it. As the pink potion flowed down the doll's body, it's features changed into that of a very real child's. Kelly smiled when Madame Sinclair handed her the child. A couple people clapped in the classroom.

"Okay, next up is Jessica Williams and Scott Wilson."

One by one the partners went up to become parents. Rowan began to notice that a pink potion meant your child would be a girl and a blue potion meant a boy. Finally, it was her and James' turn. They picked a doll, placed a lock of their hair into the potion, which turned pink and they waited while Madame Sinclair muttered the spell. Rowan's dark hair seemed to wind itself around James' chestnut one as if protecting it. The potion was poured over the doll and it turned into their child. Madame Sinclair handed it to Rowan and as much as she dreaded this moment five minutes prior she couldn't help but smile at the innocent child's adorable face. When she glanced up at James, he was grinning too.

"I think that's the cutest child I've ever seen. I think she will grow up to be a heartbreaker," Madame Sinclair laughed, but of course, that was a lie because she would never grow up. She wasn't real. It was ridiculous how much that thought saddened Rowan.

For the rest of the class, she didn't stop looking at the baby. She was a spitting image of Rowan with dark hair and tanned skin, but she inherited James' eyes and dimples.

"She has your eyes," Rowan whispered, leaning towards James. It was funny how the introduction of an innocent child made them forget their previous argument.

"Yeah she does, but the rest of her is all you. No wonder the professor said she would be a heartbreaker," James mused, smiling down at Rowan. She raised her eyebrows at him. "Oh, don't look so surprised. You know you're pretty." Rowan shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant, but an unreasonable part of her fought down a smile.

The students were instructed to drop their children off in the hospital wing where several matrons were hired to care for them. They were to attend classes as usual and were to pick up their children when they were done.

Madame Sinclair said their only homework was to come up with a first and middle name for their child. Rowan initially figured that was easy enough, but now that she and James had sat down to discuss names, it was proving to be very difficult.

"How about Sarah?" James asked. Rowan shook her head.

"Too plain."

"Okay, fair enough. What about Nadia?"

"Better, but it's too Russian for me."

She could see that James was getting frustrated with her. He had started to rub his temples as if warding off a headache. What a drama queen, Rowan thought.

"Alright, what about Elizabeth. That's a perfectly English name."

"That's the late Queen's name. No thank you," She sighed.

"Okay, well I don't see you coming up with anything better." James seethed. Rowan could tell he was trying not to raise his voice in case their daughter woke up.

"I know I'm sorry. What about Katrina?" Rowan suggested.

"I have never met a nice Katrina in my life. They're all bitches," James dismissed. Rowan had to bite her lip to stifle a laugh. James groaned and glared at her. "What is your problem now?"

"I'm sorry," She laughed. "It's just you seem to think that the name has something to do with the child's personality. That doesn't even make sense."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. At least I'm not named after a tree," he jeered. She rolled her eyes. If she received a knut every time someone made fun of her because of her name, she would be richer than Viktor Krum.

"Alright back to names. How about Emma?"

"You said Sarah was too simple, but now you're suggesting Emma?" James asked, dumbfounded.

"I'm getting desperate. She needs a name."

We sat in silence for a good five minutes before James finally smiled.

"I got it. Gertrude. It's perfect. It's elegant. It's different!" He cheered, jumping up and picking up our daughter. "Tiny, baby Gertrude. Or Trudie for short. I love it." If Rowan hadn't known James was such a great actor, she would've thought he were serious.

"Yeah, it's a great name until you call for her and an old lady comes instead." He rolled his eyes at her.

"You know what. I actually think I've got it this time. Camille," James smiled and this time he was sincere. Camille. Rowan kind of liked it.

"Camille it is. Camille Potter," She smiled and walked over to James and Camille. She looked down at her, sleeping peacefully in his arms and she allowed herself to look up at James. Really look at him. His eyes looked green in the room's lighting. Not green like Al's, but green like a forest floor.

She blinked and the moment faded.

"Uh, I think I will go have a shower now. Can you handle her?" She asked.

"Sure. She's an angel, a four-year-old could handle her."

"Don't joke about that," Rowan called from over her shoulder. "I better not come back here and see Teddy and Victoire's little Gwen watching our child."

Rowan never realized that James' eyes had lit up at our.

Rowan couldn't think of anything better than seeing an attractive guy holding a baby. She didn't think she had ever seen James look so kind until this moment. He was looking at Camille like he just won the lottery and she was that big cheque delivered to his doorstep. Rowan couldn't even express how much she actually liked him at that moment. Genuinely liked him.

"How was she?" She asked, smiling down at Camille over James' shoulder. He looked over at her grinning widely, dimples and all.

"Absolutely perfect," he replied.


End file.
